Date: Sat, 14 Mar 1998 09:20:46 -0500
Reply-To: "John H. Rodgers" <inua@QUICKLINK.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: "John H. Rodgers" <inua@QUICKLINK.NET>
Subject: Vanagons Forever!
-- [ From: John H. Rodgers * EMC.Ver #2.5.02 ] --
With all l the comments about the problems with our beloved vans, I couldn't
help but think about the reason(s) that I bought and keep mine.
At the moment the only engine problem I have is that it is using a little
oil. Has right at 200,000 miles on it. No head leaks. Had a little concern a
while back when I saw a green puddle on the ground under the left rear of
the vehicle. Turned out to be a problem with the cap on the expansion tank.
When the cooling system was full, as the engine warmed up and the coolant
expanded, the overflow cap wouldn't work allowing the expanding coolant to
flow into the overflow tank. So the pressure was forcing the coolant out
from under the seal on the coollant level sensor and spilling onto the
ground.
All the rest of the stuff is just maintenance that any high mileage vehicle
has to go through to keep it up. As for the engine, I recognize that the
history is not good. I expect eventually to replace it with a conversion to
a mainstream engine when the time comes.
For me, all the rest of the stuff is just maintenance. I hate the rediculous
high cost of parts, but that is the result of the few machines sold in this
country, and the relatively low demand for parts, in the grand scheme of the
autoparts world. Ours is a bit of a specialty vehicle, and the low demand
for parts creates specialty parts at specialty prices..
Had a Beech-C35 airplane once, you know, the one with the V-tail. Had to
replace two 7/16" castelated stop-nuts on the propeller - @$26/ea. Special
parts for a special airplane that nobody else made aftermarket parts for.
But I loved that airplane. For my purpose it served well.
So it is with my van. My '85 GL has no middle seat. It is my camper, my
truck, and my car. Camped out in it all the way down the Alaska Highway.
Hauled 4X8 Plywood sheets, 12ft long 2X6 lumber, and 1500 lbs of bricks in
it, as well as Grandma and half dozen grand kids. Costs me a lot to keep it
up. But there is not another vehicle on the market that will do what my van
does, and that is why I keep it. It aggravates me to the point of
exasperation on occasion, but there is not a better all around vehicle for
my purposes. It is the right length, width, height, drives fast enough,
fairly economical on fuel.
I couldn't ask for a better machine........for my purposes. A little more
refined perhaps.
The one thing that could make it better might be the upgraded engine. And
that is a distinct possibility when the time comes.
Just my thoughts.
John Rodgers
'85 Gl Driver
